Fly Fishing on the Fylde

We’ve not done much sea fishing recently due to one thing or another but last weekend we visited a new (to us) fly fishing venue, Fylde Trout Fishery, after I’d chatted about it to John at Ted Carter Fishing Tackle last week.

We agreed to meet up with Dave, the fishery manager, to get a few pointers as we’re still very new to this fly fishing game and he informed us that the fishing at the moment was very hard but to try a few lures such as ‘Cat’s Whisker’, ‘Black Cat’ or ‘Viva’.

Although we did try with lures and I’m sure I felt a pluck at the Cat the most exciting thing was when evening started to fall and noticing a few large black natural (reel) flies on the water I changed over to a floating pattern called a hopper which imitates a fly, funnily enough, in the surface film of the water. Three times, THREE!! a trout took the fly and I missed it each time. The first I was too slow, second far to eager and to be honest the third I missed because it was too dark to see.

It was brilliant though, tense, but brilliant.

We’ll definitely be going back and Dave mentioned they’re restocking today and in about 4 days these stock fish will hit almost anything put in front of them as they’ll be hungry and not know any difference. So I think another trip is due out next Sunday.

Sorry about the dodgy photo, there was a grubby mark on the lens which I didn’t notice – the problem of not using an SLR.

Keep plugging away..
I can guarantee a fish if you do the following a small single bloodworm pattern (size of maggot size 10 hook) nothing fancy or to large. Dead slow retrieve on sinking line.. its boring method but I never fail on small still waters if I need a fish….especially after a cold spell…….
you might have to do it a for a few hours but it works when all else isn’t working

Hi Stu also consider playing the canals for perch.
They will readily take a fly…..I should have been on the rivers but they are well flooded fishing for grayling so I set a forum challenge for perch on the fly.
PS well done Wendy on the rainbow just wait until you get a double figure fish they don’t half make your arm ache..
Tl Phil

Nice Perch Phil – well done, havn’t coarse fished since i was a kid and Perch was the first fish I ever caught, on a worm – suprise suprise. In days gone by (30 odd years – jeez) we used to get them spinning anything shiny so i’m guessing any of the trout lures such as cats or humungus would work for them as well yeah?